


Apocalyptic Morality

by Q_dracul



Series: Sanders Sides Umbrella Academy AU [1]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series), The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-06
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2020-10-10 23:22:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20536319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Q_dracul/pseuds/Q_dracul
Summary: In the Netflix series of Umbrella Academy, numbers 1-6 do not have code names, and number 5 is there for the first mission. In the comics, their first mission is when they are ten and number 5 is already missing. They also have code names in the comic. This story is using a mixture of both the series and the comic so number 5 (Logan) is present, and they each have a code name. The note at the end will specify who has which name.





	1. Excerpts from the Diary of Daedalus L. Harding

November 3rd, 1989

The year had been mostly uneventful. Except for one unusually warm day in early October. All around the world 46 women gave birth at the exact same time. Now, one might say that isn't anything special. One would be right except for the fact that when the day started, none of these women were pregnant. Upon learning of this event I, along with my assistant Dr Emile Picani, went out to procure as many of these children as possible.

I was only able to get seven of them.

***

June 5th, 1999

Number one: A very energetic youth. Has a love of Disney films and musicals. Can hardly hold still for more than five minutes at a time. Is always eager to help and to prove himself useful. By far my most favourite of the children.

Number two: Skilled with a knife. Can hold their breath for an indefinitely long period of time. Very headstrong. Quite annoying and stubborn at times.

Number three: Has a gift with words. Can be very persuasive. Quite useful with keeping the other children in line.

Number four: A very anxious child. Is able to commune with the dead and has the power of levitation. Picani has suggested that he might be part cat as he has a bad habit of sitting on surfaces that are not meant to be sat on.

Number five: Almost as stubborn as number two. Is able to teleport. Quite intelligent and is eager to train and push the limits of his powers. Often takes things too literal. Has a love of word association games. Reminds me a bit of myself. I'm not quite fond of this one.

Number six: Had I known of this child's powers before taking him in I would've left him where they were. He seems to be able to summon forth an entity through their abdomen. I will have to suppress my gag reflex long enough to examine him further.

Number seven: A very emotional child. Completely useless. Nothing special about him at all. Unless one were to count his unabashed love of 'dad jokes' and terrible puns special. He is mediocre at best with the violin.

***

May 6th, 2005

Dr Picani has informed me that addressing the children by numbers and codenames was not healthy for their mental and emotional development. I have instructed him to give them each a name as I am far too busy to be bothered with such a menial task.

***

May 8th, 2005

Tonight during dinner Number five had an outburst and insisted that he knew what he was doing. He claimed that he could easily travel whenever he pleased and time and be back in no time. He would not listen to reason when I tried to inform him that it was not as simple as teleporting from one place to another.

***

June 17th, 2005

Number five has been missing for a month now. If I were to be honest, I am not at all concerned. Perhaps he transported himself to the time of dinosaurs and has saved us all the headache of his existence.

***

August 10th, 2005

It has been three months since number five has disappeared. Dr Picani has given the other children names. He hopes that it wasn't too late and that they will adjust better with more than just numbers. He has named them as follows:

Number one: Roman Harding

Number two: Remy Harding

Number three: Janus Harding

Number four: Virgil Harding

Number six: Remus Harding

Number seven: Patton Harding

He has insisted on giving number five a name despite the fact that the boy is quite possibly dead. He has chosen to name him Logan Harding. Why he gave the boy my middle name is beyond me.


	2. Mission 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the Netflix series of Umbrella Academy, numbers 1-6 do not have code names, and number 5 is there for the first mission. In the comics, their first mission is when they are ten and number 5 is already missing. They also have code names in the comic. This story is using a mixture of both the series and the comic so number 5 (Logan) is present, and they each have a code name. The note at the end will specify who has which name.

"Daedalus, they're just children!" Picani frowned at the other man, looking from the man he worked so close to to the children he'd helped to raise and back again. "Sending them on a mission is far too dangerous. I won't let you do this to them."

"I'm afraid you have no say in the matter, doctor. They have come so far in their training. This is the perfect time to introduce them to the world."

"They're ten!"

"I know. It took far too long to get them prepared for this."

It quickly became evident to the young doctor that the older man was not listening to him. He also noted the excitement with which the children got into their uniforms. With a heavy sigh, he shook his head and went to help the children get ready.

***

"Everybody get down and empty your pockets!" A man with a gun yelled as his associates went about robbing the bank customers and the bank.

A young boy with platinum blonde hair and a discoloured patch of skin on the left side of his face waltzed up to the ring leader and tugged on his jacket.

"You wanna die kid?" The man asked, glaring down at the boy. "And what's with the fucking mask? It ain't Halloween."

The boy chuckled and leaned forward. "I heard a rumour," he began, placing a yellow gloved hand beside his mouth as if he were telling a secret.

"What?"

"I heard a rumour you shot your friend in the foot," he said before chuckling and skipping off.

The man's face went blank and he turned and shot one of his accomplices in the foot. The man who was shot cursed and dropped his own gun, falling to the floor in pain.

"What the hell, Mack!" Another man yelled from over by the teller counter.

"You should really watch your language," a dark-haired boy commented while adjusting his tie. The man that yelled turned towards him and aimed his gun at the boy when the child disappeared. A child with a pair of sunglasses perched atop his head tossed two knives, one hitting the man that had aimed a gun at their brother and the other hitting one of the other robbers on the other side of the bank.

"Good job, Nyx."

"Thanks, Dolos."

"Pollux, behind you!" A boy who was levitating called out. The taller boy turned in time to see one of the robbers take a swing at him. Blocking the hit he grabbed the man and tossed him out of the window.

"Thanks, Thanatos."

The boy who was levitating gave a two-finger salute before landing by one of the other children. "There are more guys in the vault, Eris."

"I...I don't know, Thanatos. Can't Pollux or someone else do it?"

"You're the only one that can take on more than one guy at a time. You've got this, Eris."

With a heavy sigh, the nervous child nodded their head and walked into the vault. Shortly after he entered screams of horror and pain could be heard, along with bodies being thrown around and torn apart.

**Outside the bank and across the street**

Patton watched with his father as his siblings dealt with the bank robbers. "Why can't I help them, Dad?"

"I've told you numerous times, number seven. You're useless."

Patton winced at being called useless and lowered his head.

"I only brought you along to give Dr Picani a bit of a break. Though I guess you aren't completely useless. Your note-taking skills are quite efficient."

"Yes, sir," Patton mumbled, head still lowered.

**Back in the bank**

Eris walked out of the bank vault, covered in crimson and looking rather green. The bank customers had fled screaming while he was still in the vault with the remaining robbers. The other children cheered for him before they all walked calmly out of the bank.

The media and police were outside and astonished to see six children in uniforms and domino masks.

"I would like to introduce you all to the city's newest heroes," Daedalus announced as he walked over to the children. "They are, the Umbrella Academy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All code names are taken from characters in Greek mythology.  
Number 1 - Roman - Pollux  
Number 2 - Remy - Nyx  
Number 3 - Janus - Dolos  
Number 4 - Virgil - Thanatos  
Number 5 - Logan - Hermes  
Number 6 - Remus - Eris


	3. The Loss of a Parent

Picani sighed heavily and looked at the mobile in his hands. He hadn't messaged any of the Harding children since Janus had gotten married. And, that had only been to inform them that he was looking forward to seeing them all on that joyous occasion. Now he had to send them a message that was anything but joyful.

Emile: I'm sorry I haven't called or messaged any of you in quite some time. I am even sorrier that the reason for this message is to bring you sad news. Your father passed away two nights ago in his sleep. I hope you all will be able to make it for the funeral at the end of the week. I look forward to seeing you. Though, I wish it were for a happier reason.

Letting out another sigh he set his mobile down on the kitchen table and held his head in his hands. Silent tears ran down his face. Why couldn't he have been more stoic and reserved with his emotions like the other man had been when they arrived on this planet? Granted his sensitivity had allowed him to better connect with the children and other humans. Better than Harding, himself, had been able to. But, in a moment such as this, it was nothing more than an inconvenience to the doctor. He had a funeral to plan and an estate and affairs to get in order. He told himself that could wait as he stood up from his chair. Right now he had a house to clean and five bedrooms to dust before the end of the week.

***

Roman sat in the room that had been designated as the lab in his habitat on the moon. He was going over samples and taking notes, compiling yet another report to send back to Earth. Though the job was tedious and mundane Harding had entrusted him with it and the safety of the planet.

A melodic ping from his laptop drew the man's attention from the soil sample under his microscope to the screen before him. Clicking on the little message that had popped up on the screen he silently read the message from Dr Picani.

"Dad..." he sighed softly, brows furrowed in heartache.

***

Janus pulled his phone out of his pocket as he got out of the limo. His brows rose in shock when he saw that the message he'd gotten was from Dr Picani. "How's he doing?" He mused aloud as he clicked on the message. Before he had a chance to read it his agent tapped him on the shoulder. Shoving the device back in his pocket he spoke with the other man about how he would answer questions about the premiere of his new movie that the reporters might have. As they walked towards the red carpet he plastered a smile on his face and waved to the reporters and photographers.

Acting hadn't been his first choice of careers. No, this had been Roman's dream job. But the taller boy had convinced him to take it up as a hobby. As something to let off some energy while he was studying for law school. Neither had expected him to be discovered. Roman had been ecstatic about his brother's break and making it on to the silver screen, becoming the president of Janus' fan club. The memory of Roman's excitement and enthusiasm always brought a smile to Janus' face and made dealing with the press just a little easier.

He noticed a reporter whispering to someone before pushing her way to the front of the crowd. It wasn't an uncommon thing and his only thought on the matter was that the woman was rather rude to be pushing the other reporters and photographers.

"Janus! Janus!" She waved her hands as she shouted to get the man's attention. "How did you feel when you learned about your father's death?"

Janus gave the woman a confused look then turned his attention to his agent. His agent checked his phone and cursed silently before walking over to the actor and confirming what the reporter had said. The colour left Janus' face and the look of confusion was quickly replaced with one of devastation.

Pulling his mobile out once more he opened the message he'd received from Picani and silently read it. His hand covered his mouth and tears welled up in his eyes. The bastard was dead.

There was no denying that he didn't have a good relationship with Harding, he was fairly certain none of his siblings had had a good relationship with the man, but he had loved him as much as any child could love an emotionally distant parent. He'd raised them all and helped to cultivate their talents. His methods weren't always the best, but Janus was sure that Harding had done his best.

He ignored the reporters and his agent, turning away from the theatre and making his way back to the limo while making a reservation for the next flight home.

***

"How about we try for longer than six months this time, Virgil?" The orderly behind the desk asked while handing the darkly dressed man his personal belongings.

"I make no promises," he replied while putting in his hoodie and pulling the hood up over his head. He grabbed his mobile off the counter just as it chimed and shoved it in his pocket without glancing at the screen. "I'll see ya around, Frank." He gave to orderly a two-fingered salute and made his way out of the clinic.

Virgil walked for a couple of blocks before making his way down an alley and approaching a shady character. Reaching in his pocket to grab his wallet, intent on shutting up the voices in his head again, he felt his phone and remembered the notification he had gotten. He grabbed both his phone and his wallet, handing the other man a twenty in exchange for a small baggie, which he immediately pocketed. As he walked away he opened the message he'd received and read it.

The world around Virgil suddenly became dark and both too loud and too quiet all at once. Harding was dead.

***

Remy was sat at the police station, listening to Detective Rodriguez lecture them about running around the city at all hours of the night attacking people.

"Criminals. I only attack criminals and only the ones that deserve it," they corrected, taking a sip of their coffee.

"You're a vigilante, Harding. This is why you couldn't cut it in the academy. Yeah, you got away with this stuff when you and your brothers were younger, but times have changed. The city has changed."

"Oh for the love of..." Remy sighed heavily and ran a hand through their hair. "I'm not stupid Cal. I know things have changed. But this city still needs more than just a precinct full of overworked and underpaid cops. And I'll have you know that the only reason I flunked out of the academy was because I called our instructor a bitch for getting in my face before I had my coffee."

Detective Rodriguez sighed in disappointment and shook her head. Talking to Remy was like talking to a brick wall sometimes. She had no idea how the hero turned vigilante in front of her made it to adulthood without their siblings trying to kill them. She opened her mouth to talk again, but was cut off by the sound of Remy's phone going off. Picking it up she handed it to them, catching that the notification was a message from an Emile.

"Thanks," unlocking their phone they read over the message. Their body went stiff and it felt like they were choking.

"Remy?" Cal placed a gentle hand on her friend's arm, concern evident in her voice.

"I... I umm... I have to go, detective." Their voice was soft and a tad strained, causing the woman to be even more concerned. Remy slowly rose from their seat and put their sunglasses on. "I'm fine, Cal. Honest. I'll see you later," They didn't even wait for a response before leaving the precinct.

***  
Patton had been so nervous about auditions that he'd forgotten to grab up his phone when he left the house that morning on his way to work. It wasn't until he was waiting at the concert hall for his turn that he realized he'd forgotten the device on its charger on the table by the front door to his apartment. If it weren't for the fact that he always keeps his keys in his cardigan he would've probably forgotten those as well. He wasn't too upset about forgetting his mobile though. It wasn't like he ever got a call or message. He wasn't even sure why he had the device in the first place.

_Janus had bought it for you. He took you and Virgil to the mall to get you each one for your birthday. He wanted to be able to keep in touch with you both._ Sighing he shook his head to push the thoughts and memories aside as he was called up to the stage.

Taking a couple of calming breaths he began to play Phantom of the Opera on his violin.

He knew when he'd stopped playing before the conductor even spoke, he knew he was being delegated to third chair again. It was nothing new and he was starting to wonder why he even bothered to audition for first chair.

He was pulled from his thoughts by the news on a television in a shop window. Eyes widening he read the headline just under the news anchor: Daedalus Harding passed away in his sleep Saturday evening.

His father was dead? Clutching his violin tightly Patton held back tears as he ran home. This couldn't be true.

_There has to be some mistake. I'll call Dr Picani when I get in. He'll clear this mess up. Dad isn't dead. There was probably another Daedalus Harding they were talking about. Not dad._

As soon as Patton got into his apartment he grabbed his mobile to call Dr Picani and froze when he saw the message from the doctor. It wasn't a mistake. He dropped his phone and fell to his knees and cried.


	4. We Only See Each Other at Weddings and Funerals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've redone the chapter and made it a bit longer. I was having an off day when I wrote it yesterday and was hoping to be able to fix it before I posted it at like 1 in the morning. -_-' I wasn't able to, hence the really late posting. But, I'm in a better place today so, I was able to beef it up a bit and make it something I like a bit better.

Patton sat quietly in the back of the cab, watching as the scenery passed by. He hadn't seen his siblings in years. It had been less time since he last spoke to any of them, but that was beside the point. The only one he had even spoken to then was Janus. And Janus was trying to calm him down after he and Remy had gotten into an argument about his book.

Once the cab pulled up to the building, Patton paid and got out. he looked up at his childhood home and let out a heavy sigh. he'd been the first one to leave the house. Shortly after Remus' death he'd packed his bags and did his best not to look back. He'd made sure to keep in touch with Janus and Remy, but that had been it. The others didn't really seem to care and he'd been focused on playing and teaching the violin. 

"You're actually here," Janus said in surprise as he walked around the corner and spotted Patton coming walking into the house. he smiled happily and walked up to his brother and hugged him tightly. "How have you been?"

Patton gave a slight shrug of his shoulders and scratched the back of his head. "I've been okay I guess. How about you? How're Amy and Maria?"

Janus grimaced slightly and let out an awkward chuckle. "They're good. Amy filed for divorce a few months ago."

"Oh no. I'm sorry, kiddo."

"Nah," Janus shook his head and pat Patton on the back. "It's okay. She got custody of Maria, but she's happy and doing okay so that's a win. Right?"

Patton could tell that Janus was hiding something from him, but made no effort to say anything about it. Instead, he just smiled and nodded his head. "That's the spirit."

"What are you doing here, bitch?"

Both men turned to see Remy standing in the hall, coffee cup in one hand and their sunglasses in the other.

"The same thing we're all doing here, Rem. He's here to pay his respects to Dad." Janus frowned at his sibling, crossing his arms over his chest.

"This is a private event for family only."

"Patton is as much a part of this family as the rest of us and you know it, Remy."

Placing their glasses back on their face and letting out a disgusted scoff Remy turned to walk up the stairs. "Could fool me with that book he wrote."

Patton and Janus stood in silence as they watched Remy retreat up the stairs.

"M-maybe I shouldn't have come," Patton's voice was small and unsure, and he nervously played with the sleeves of the grey cardigan wrapped around his shoulders.

"Nonsense. You're part of this family, Pat. Don't listen to them. The others will be glad that you came." Wrapping an arm around the smaller man's shoulders, Janus led him into the kitchen. "Come on, let's get some hot chocolate. It's pretty cold outside. And, we can catch up some more. It's ridiculous that we only ever see each other at weddings and funerals."

Patton gave him a small smile and nodded his head, allowing the other man to lead him into the kitchen.

***

Roman walked silently around Harding's room, examining every surface closely as he did so.

"I'll save you some time. He died of a heart attack," Remy walked into the room and plopped down into the armchair near the foot of the bed.

"How do you know?" Roman looked over at his sibling and raised an eyebrow.

"I got a copy of the autopsy. Apparently, the old man did have a heart," they took a sip of their coffee and pulled a folded manilla envelope out of their pocket and held it out to the other.

Roman took the envelope and opened it, reading over the report. "How do we know this is authentic?"

"Because I stole it from the coroner."

"Wha... We don't steal things, Remy. We're heroes. Not villains."

"No. You're a hero. I fall under the classification of anti-hero vigilante."

Sighing heavily Roman pinched the bridge of his nose. "You are a lost cause. I still don't trust this. Something happened to Harding."

"And what makes you say that?"

"His monocle is missing. He always has that thing on him."

"Had. He always had it on him. And maybe Picani took it while cleaning up and placed it somewhere else."

"Dr Picani doesn't just move Dad's stuff around. Hell, he hardly ever comes into Dad's room."

Remy raised their eyebrows and chuckled softly. "Oh, Roman. It's so cute how naive you are."

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"Picani and the old man were more than just friends and colleagues. Were you really so focused on being a hero and getting gold stars that you didn't notice?"

Roman blushed and looked away from Remy. "Anyway. Even if he had been cleaning up and moved it I find it hard to believe that Dr Picani would misplace it. It's nowhere in the house. I checked everywhere."

"You probably overlooked it. It'll turn up. Not everything is a mystery that needs to be solved."

"I know it's not. It's just..."

"It's just what?"

"I spoke to Dad earlier that day. He was fine. Nothing was wrong."

"That's the way of things like that. One minute you're okay and the next you're taking a nap that you just won't wake up from," standing up Remy stretched their arms over their head. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I'm gonna go make a phone call." They turned and walked out of the room, heading down the hall to their own room.

***

Janus left Patton in the kitchen to go see if he could locate Dr Picani so that the older man could visit with the violinist for a bit and possibly help to calm his nerves. As he searched the upper floor of the house he noticed that Harding's office door was open. With a slight frown on his face, he made his way into the room, starting when he heard a rustling under the desk. "Hello?" There was a bang, followed by a soft curse. "Whose there?"

"Calm down. It's just me," Virgil stood up from under the desk, rubbing the back of his head.

"Virgil. The heck are you doing in here?"

"Just making sure the old man is dead. Didn't believe it when I read Picani's text. But, it's true. I mean, if he were alive we wouldn't be allowed in here. Now would we?"

Crossing his arms, Janus gave his brother a small chuckle and shook his head. "How have you been, V?" His eyes flashing with the concern that he wouldn't let change the tone of his voice.

"I'm fine. Never better." He pulled his hood over his head so that it covered his face and looked away from the more responsible man.

"If you ever need to talk. I'm here for you. I'm more than willing to listen."

"Thanks for the heart to heart, but I doubt you can help with what's going on up here," Virgil tapped a finger to his temple and then turned to the door, stopping in his tracks when spotted the other man that had helped in the upbringing of him and his siblings. "Hey, doc."

"Hello, Virgil. What're you doing in here?"

"Just paying my respects to the old man."

"Really?" Picani sighed and crossed his arms. "Well, how about you put back the things that you knicked?"

Virgil tensed for a second then let out a heavy sigh and walked back over to the desk, emptying his pockets. "Was just trying to collect early on my share of the inheritance. You know, for sentimental reasons. I did love dear old dad oh so much."

"Sarcasm isn't very becoming of you, buddy. We'll talk later. Okay?"

"Yeah. Sure. Whatever." The darkly dressed man stalked out of the office and down the hall, leaving a chuckling Janus and an annoyed looking Picani behind. Once he was around the corner and out of their line of view he reached under his shirt and pulled out a box, smirking to himself before heading down the stairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still not up to my expectations for myself, but trying to write combining two personality types is not that easy. lol It's longer than it was before and after rereading it I realized that the only crappy part about it before was how abruptly it ended. I have one more scene before the funeral. I'm not guaranteeing that either of those scenes will be any good since I'm doing my best to go off of memory of the Netflix series and the comic for Umbrella Academy. There are some huge differences between both, but both are still very good and very well written.


	5. And Then There Were Six

The five of them sat, gathered in the living room, reminiscing about their childhood. Patton sat to himself, curled up in a chair in the corner while the others sat on the couch and armchairs that were closer together. Remy had their sunglasses on again and was slowly sipping at a cup of coffee. Virgil had found their father's liquor cabinet and was nursing a decanter of brandy, much to Roman's annoyance.

"Relax, Ro. Your being annoyed with him isn't going to change anything," Janus said, crossing his arms in front of his chest and leaning back on the couch.

"That was dad's brandy. Virgil knows that we aren't allowed to touch his stuff."

"Keyword there, Captain America, 'was'. The old man is long gone now. Let Virgil have his fun," Remy said nonchalantly. Roman responded with a growl of annoyance.

"Why am I the only one here who cares about respecting the dead. I'm honestly surprised with you, Virgil."

"Chill out, princey. You act like you've never walked on the wild side," Virgil took another sip from the decanter and plopped back on the couch beside, Janus.

"He's got his panties in a bunch because Harding's monocle is missing."

"With good reason! Have any of you ever known him to ever be without it?"

"No, but it's probably nothing to worry about," Patton and Janus responded in unison.

Roman rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to Virgil. "Virge, channel dad and find out where his monocle is. If it was misplaced I'll drop it. If it was stolen then we need to figure out who stole it and why."

"No can do, big guy."

"And why's that?"

"I'm not in the right state of mind to try and contact him," he shrugged his shoulders and pushed his bangs out of his face, only for them to fall back into his eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean? Have you even tried?"

"No. I just came here and sat on my ass. Of course, I tried to contact him. My state of mind just isn't conducive to that kind of activity."

"Language," Patton said softly.

Roman frowned at the smaller man's response. How was he not able to channel their deceased father? His powers were literally levitating and talking to the dead.

"He's too high and too drunk," Remy stated, not looking at either of them. The purple-haired mand murmured a 'bingo' and pointed to the sibling with the sunglasses before taking another sip of the drink. This just earned a growl of frustration form the tallest of them.

"Flipping useless," he threw his hands up in the air and stormed out of the living room and towards his bedroom.

"That went well," Janus rose from his seat and pat Virgil on the shoulder. "My offer still stands if you ever want help, Virge."

"No thanks, Harvey Dense."

"Real mature," Janus walked off, heading to his own room.

Remy took Janus's spot on the couch, lying down and placing his feet over Virgil's legs.

"Personal space," the darkly dressed man said, pushing the other's legs off of his lap and getting up. "I'm gonna go grab something to eat." Leaving the other two alone he made his way to the kitchen.

Patton and Remy remained in awkward silence for several, excruciatingly long minutes. not wanting to incur his sibling's wrath the violinist quietly retreated to his own room.

***

It sounded like an explosion. It startled everyone in the house. The sound afterwards was as if someone had set a tornado loose int he backyard and had attached the house to a giant electric chair.

Roman was the first out the door, followed closely by Remy, and then the others. "Everyone stand back," he yelled out over the storm brewing in the south-west corner of the back yard. Could it be called a storm?

"Yeah, get behind us," Remy called out, pushing Patton back and standing beside Roman. They pulled out two of their knives and held them, ready to fight. What they were ready to fight was up for debate at the moment.

Virgil ran back into the house and then returned with a fire extinguisher in hand, chucking it at the storm cloud. This earned him a few odd looks from his siblings. "What? We have to defend ourselves."

"Y-You..." Janus couldn't even finish his sentence, instead just biting his lip and shaking his head.

"Uhh, kiddos? There's something in the cloud," Patton brought everyone's attention back to the cloud Virgil had just chucked their fire extinguisher at.

"What the..."

There was a loud crackle of electricity, followed by a scream as a body came tumbling out of the cloud, landing on Remy. As soon as the two people collided and hit the ground the strange cloud disappeared.

The man that had fallen out of the sky stood up and adjusted his glasses, apologizing to the person he had landed on and offering them a hand.

"N-number five?!" Patton pushed past the others and threw himself at his long lost brother, hugging him tightly. "It's you! It's really you!" Tears ran down the man's face and a smile spread wide from ear to ear. He couldn't believe he was hugging his brother who he hadn't seen in 14 years.

"Where have you been, dude?! And why the heck do you still look like a teenager?!" Virgil stared at the younger man with wide eyes, a mixture of joy and confusion in his chocolate orbs.

The teen did his best to keep his balance when Patton tackle hugged him. Wrapping an arm around the other in a hug he sighed heavily. "Yes, it is really me. I'll gladly answer any questions you all have, but first I need to eat something."

"Of course!" Patton grabbed Five's hand and dragged him into the house, making a b-line for the kitchen.

***

After changing his clothes Five proceeded to fix himself a sandwich with peanut butter and Crofters strawberry preserve while the other's huddled around the table, Virgil sitting on it cross-legged, and waited with bated breath for his story of where he'd been and what had happened. He took a quick bite of the sandwich and let out a satisfied groan before talking.

"Harding was correct. Moving through space is a walk in the park, but through time is like playing a game of Russian roulette. I went forward in time, but I wasn't able to come back. I spent years alone. So many years," he shuddered.

"Wait, if you spent years alone why do you look the same as you did when you left?"

"My calculations were off. There were an infinitesimal number of variables."

"Then you shouldn't have messed up on your calculations," Patton chimed in.

"I beg your pardon?"

"If there were an infinitesimal number of variables you shouldn't have gotten your calculations wrong."

"How do you figure that Number Si--uh, Patton, right?"

Patton nodded his head, smiling a bit. "Well, to answer your question, infinitesimal means really small."

"Wh-what?" Virgil pulled up the word on his phone and showed Five that Patton was correct. "H-how did you know that?!" He looked from the mobile device to his brother in shock.

"I know big words," he replied with a shrug.

Five let out a groan and rolled his eyes. "Whatever. There were far too many variables. I made a mistake," he shuddered and took another bite of his sandwich. "I do not like making mistakes," he muttered around the bite of food in his mouth.

"Maybe we should let Five-"

"Logan," the teen said, interrupting Janus.

"Huh?"

"Dr Picani named each of us shortly after my disappearance. Did he not?"

"Yeah."

"And the name he gave me was Logan. Was it not?"

"Yes."

"Excellent. You can all address me by my given name then. And I will address you each by yours. Is that satisfactory to everyone?"

They all looked at Fi-Logan and then at each other before nodding their heads in agreement.

"Alright then. Now, what were you about to suggest, Janus?"

"I was umm...just saying that we should let you get some rest. You've been through a lot. Plus we have Dad's funeral tomorrow."

"That suggestion is quite satisfactory. I will see you each in the morning," Logan took the other half of his sandwich and made his way to his bedroom.

"Umm...Logan?" Patton called out, following the other as he walked down the hall.

"Yes, Patton?"

"How did you know about our names?"

"I read your book."

"Oh."

"Is it safe to assume that the others did not take too kindly to you letting out our family secrets?"

"Yeah. Janus was the only one that didn't stop talking to me."

"It is hard to deal with having your secrets put out there like that. But I'm sure they will all come around eventually. Just give them time."

Patton nodded his head and fiddled with the sleeves of his cardigan. "H-how do you feel about it?"

"It was very well written. I'm sorry about Remus' passing. I left and then you all lost him. That couldn't have been easy on any of you."

"No. It wasn't. But you have no reason to apologize. You're back now and that's a huge plus."

Logan nodded and gave Patton a small smile. "I'm glad to be back."

"Go and get some rest, kiddo. We can catch up some more in the morning." Patton gave him a quick hug before leaving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That chapter felt a little all over the place. I admittedly had to scan through the episode because I forgot parts of it. Plus, again, trying to blend two personality types is tricky. Hope you enjoy.


	6. Funeral

Emile walked through the house, waking up the those of the Harding children (could he even still call them children given their ages?) that had stayed there the night before. While they woke up and got themselves ready for the day he made a quick call to Remy and to Patton, telling them to come to the house so they could eat breakfast as a family before the funeral. Remy was not too pleased with the idea of getting up so early just to eat with people that he had no interest in even seeing. But, he agreed to for the doctor's sake. Patton, on the other hand, needed a bit more convincing. While he was excited to sit with his siblings and enjoy breakfast together again he was fairly certain they were not keen on the idea of having him there. Janus overheard the older man trying to convince the musician to come and took the phone from him. "You're coming over for breakfast, Patton. No excuses. Understand?"

"Y-yeah. I'll be there in about twenty minutes, kiddo."

"Good. We'll see you when you get here," he hung up the phone and walked past Emilie and towards the kitchen, rolling up his sleeves along the way.

Following the actor into the kitchen, Emile thanked him for his assistance and the two started on fixing breakfast for the entire family.

***

After breakfast, the five heroes and Patton sat around the living room and shared memories about their childhood. Mostly it was Roman reminiscing about spending time with Harding and the other five glaring at him.

"Okay," Virgil said, cutting Roman off mid-sentence and standing up from his spot on the couch, "enough of your bragging about being Harding's favourite. Let's scatter the old bastard's --"

"Language." Patton, Emile, and Janus chastised all at once. The sound of the three men chastising the medium caused Remy to chuckle. Virgil just sighed and glared to his left seemingly at thin air.

"Whatever. Let's scatter his ashes and get this over with. I've got places to be." Roman gave him a sceptical look at the mention of having places to be. "I'm sorry. Is there a problem with me being busy?"

"No. Just..."

"Just what?"

"I think we should get on with the funeral," Emile interrupted, walking over to the bar and grabbing the urn containing Harding's remains. Handing the container over to Roman he led the others out to the back yard.

They all walked outside quietly, Patton and Virgil staring over at the statue of Remus, that had been erected a month after his passing, as they stepped out of the house.

"Does anyone want to say a few words?" Roman asked, looking down at the urn in his hands and then at his siblings.

"Ding dong the witch is dead," Virgil offered, crossing his arms and leaning against the side of the house, earning a glare from Roman and a disapproving look from Patton.

"How about... He was a stubborn hardass, but at least he gave a home to seven kids no one else wanted. And he survived knowing Roman." Remy suggested, raising their coffee cup. Everyone went silent at their comment and just stared at them and the man they had commented about.

"What's that supposed to mean, Remy?" Roman questioned, glaring at his sibling.

"There's no Remy here. I'm just Number 2. The old bastard, as Number 4 so nicely called him, couldn't even be bothered to give us names. And seriously, he's lucky to have survived being around you without even a scratch. Granted we're lucky to have made it out of this house with our lives. Unlike Number 6."

"Don't pull me into your argument," Virgil said, walking past the two of them, and going to stand by Emile and rub his arm comfortingly.

"Go to hell, Remy. What happened to Remus wasn't my fault."

"Like hell, it wasn't. He was always trying to please you and Harding. Trying to live up to your unrealistic expectations."

"That's enough, Remy," Roman warned.

"Is it? Is it really? Because I don't think you really grasp the severity of what happened that day!"

Roman decked Remy. "I said that was enough."

Remy wiped the blood from the corner of their mouth and tackled the taller hero, causing him to drop the urn he was holding. The two heroes began fighting, punching and tackling each other. Virgil cursed and held Emile back as the doctor tried to move between the two and stop them from fighting.

"Janus, maybe you should do something," Patton whispered, hiding behind the taller man a bit and watching the other two fight with a look of concern on his face.

"I am doing something. I'm allowing them to work out their frustration. Making them stop isn't going to do them any good. This has been years coming. Just let them get it out of their system."

"I can't believe I fought for sixty years just to come back to this madness," Logan groaned, turning and heading back into the house. He flinched and froze at the door when he heard a loud crash come from behind him. He turned to see the statue of Remus laying on the ground, the head rolling across the lawn. "Wonderful," he sighed and resumed heading inside.

"And you killed him again," Remy spat, storming back inside.

Janus tried to keep Patton calm as he led him back into the house. Virgil let go of Emile and allowed him to go over to Roman and help the man up. The doctor took the younger man inside, visibly disappointed in both him and Remy. Left alone Virgil walked over to the broken urn that had been dropped and squatted down in front of the remains of his tormentor and father.

"Even in death you've got us at each other's throats and fighting for your approval. I hope you're fucking happy." Standing back up he kicked the ashes then turned and headed back into the house.


	7. Time Travel

May 8th, 2005

Emile finished setting the dinner table and placed on an audiobook by one of Harding's favourite authors before ringing the bell to call everyone to dinner. The children... no, they were teens now. The teens filed in first and he helped them get situated at the table. It wasn't something he really needed to do given their ages, but he'd come so accustomed to it over the years that he continued to do so out of habit. Harding walked in once the seven youths were seated and silent Harding walked in and took his seat.

Emile made sure everyone was served before taking his own seat, lightly tapping Number Two's arm as he walked past and noticed them using their knife to carve into the arm of their chair.

Everyone silently ate once the man was seated. Number One and Number Four glared silently at each other. Number Six read a comic as he ate. Number Two had gone back to carving their chair. The only real sound in the room, beyond the carving and clacking of silverware, was the monotonous tone of the narrator. The otherwise silent setting was suddenly broken by Number 5 stabbing his knife into the table.

"I have a question."

"Knowledge is an admirable trait, Number Five, but mealtime is time for silent reflection," Harding stared, not even looking at the teen.

"I want to travel through time. I've been practising my special jumps like you've instructed," the dark-haired boy teleported from his seat to beside the father figure.

"Special jumps are mere child's play in contrast to flitting through time. It is like comparing walking through a park to falling through thin ice and coming out on the other side as an acorn."

"I am more than capable of doing this."

"I do not doubt your capabilities, Number Five. But, there are unknown adverse reactions. What effects could jumping through time have on your body? Or even your mind?"

Number Five clenched his fists and glared at the man he called father. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Number Seven, where he sat by Emile, giving him a worried look. The smaller teen bit his lip and shook his head, silently begging his brother not to do what they both knew he was planning on doing.

Number Five growled softly and turned to leave the room.

"Where are you going, Number Five? You have not been excused," the man called out after the boy. Five ignored his father's voice and left the house.

Once outside the house and past the front gate he focused and jumped forward in time to the next day. Feeling pleased with himself he went forward a week. Then a month. Then...

Five slowed his pace until he came to a stop and looked about him at the carnage and destruction that was once the city he grew up in. Biting his lip he focused and tried to push through time again, but he couldn't. He swallowed hard and ran back towards the house, hoping to find someone. Hoping to find an answer.

His home was destroyed though. Much like the rest of the city.

He stumbled back and bumped into a newspaper rack. Looking down at it he grabbed up one of the papers and read the date:

May 24, 2019

What the hell had happened? How had he gone fourteen years into the future? He had only meant to jump forward a year at most.

"You need to calm down and relax, Five. There is an infinitesimal number of things that could have happened. Those aren't your concern at the moment. You might be able to stop it though. You just need to relax so you can get back home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, I know. Sorry about that. I’m writing this based off of the beginning of episode 2 so, yeah. If you’ve seen the show you’ll have an idea of the flow of things. There are two characters that are introduced in the show that do not make an appearance in Apocalypse Suite (the first story arc of the comics). Not sure if I will include them in this book or in book 2. I’ll keep you posted on my decision.


	8. Catching Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From this chapter on I will be basing this book solely on the events that occur in the Netflix series of The Umbrella Academy. There are too many huge differences between the show and the comics and trying to incorporate both into this book is proving to be a challenge.

“I survived on scraps, canned food, cockroaches, anything that I could find,” Logan ran a hand through his hair and sat on Patton’s couch. “You know that rumour that Twinkies have an endless shelflife? Well, it’s total bullshit,” he scoffed.

“I can’t even imagine,” Patton said softly, giving his brother a concerned look.

“You do whatever you have to to survive or you die. So we adapted. Whatever the world threw at us, we found a way to overcome it.”

“We?”

“You got anything stronger?”

Patton took Logan’s glass into the kitchen and poured him another drink. When he brought it back Logan thanked him and downed it in almost one go. Patton watched him in shock, his earlier concern still etched on his face.

“You think I’m crazy,” Logan accused when he finished his drink.

“No. I-It’s just...It’s a lot to take in.” Patton sighed and sat back down in his armchair.

“Exactly what aren’t you understanding?” Logan asked in an agitated tone.

Patton bit his lip and wrung his fingers, avoiding looking at his brother. He had so many questions,

“Spit it out,” Logan’s annoyance was quite evident in his tone.

“Why didn’t you just tie travel back?”

Logan scoffed and sighed, standing up from the couch angrily. “Gee, wish I’d thought of that,” he spat out in a condescending tone. “Time travel is a crapshoot. I went into the ice and never acorn-ed. You think I didn’t try everything to get back to my family?” As he spoke Logan’s voice became deathly calm, causing Patton to shift uncomfortably in his chair.

Despite how stupid Logan was making him feel, Patton couldn’t help but open his mouth once again. “If you grew old there, you know, in the apocalypse, how come you still look like a kid?”

Logan let out an annoyed scoff and made his way into the kitchen, Patton following. “I told you already,” he sighed as he sent his glass on the counter, pouring himself another drink “I must have gotten the equations wrong.”

“I mean, Dad always used to say that…” Patton began timidly, “time travel could mess up your mind, kiddo.” Straightening his posture he looked Logan straight in the eyes. “Well, maybe that’s what’s happening?”

“This was a mistake,” Logan took a sip of his drink and set his glass back down. “You’re too young...too naive to understand.” He made his way to the front door as he spoke, anger and annoyance evident in his tone and posture.

“No. Logan...Logan, wait.” Logan stopped with his hand on the doorknob. “I haven’t’ seen you in a long time, and I don’t want to lose you again,” Patton pleaded. “That’s all.”

Logan turned to look at his brother and sighed softly, tension slowly ebbing out of his body.

“And you know what, it’s getting late and… I have lessons early, and I need to sleep, and I’m sure you do too. Here.” Patton walked over to the couch and rearranged the pillows, then grabbed a blanket and set it on the arm. “We’ll talk in the morning again. Okay? I promise.”

Logan stepped away from the door and shoved his hands in his pockets, watching as his brother arranged the couch for him to sleep on. He nodded his head solemnly and accepted the hug his brother gave him, wishing him a good night as the violinist retired to his room.

Closing his bedroom door, Patton took his medicine before changing for bed. He wanted to believe everything that Logan had said, but he also was sure that the time travel had just messed with his mind.

Logan sat on the couch and pulled a small pouch out of his pocket, opening it ad retrieving a glass eye from it. The only clue he had pertaining to the apocalypse. He sighed softly and rotated the glass orb in his hand looking at the serial number he’d spent countless hours memorizing. With a heavy sigh, he placed the orb and pouch back in his pocket and snuck out of Patton’s apartment.


	9. Trouble Arrives

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not good at writing fight scenes so I skipped the one in the doughnut shop.

Two figures exited the cab in front of the shady looking motel. One a beautiful woman with a look in her eyes of sold calculation. Her hair cut in a stylish yet practical bob. The other a tall yet stocky man with reddish-blonde hair and a beard. They each had on a navy suit with a black tie and white dress shirt. While the man’s jacket was fastened the woman’s was open to reveal a black underbust corset.

They walked into the motel office and the woman spoke. “Reservation for Hazel and Cha-Cha.”

The manager behind the desk, a greasy looking lowlife, stared at them for a moment before getting up out of his seat and checking the reservation log. He looked at the two of them and back at the log before grabbing a room key and setting it on the counter. “Here you go, Room 225.”

“What about the other room,” the woman, inquired.

“Uh… Only one room was booked,” the manager looked down at his logbook once again as he replied.

“Dammit. I’m sick of this cost-cutting bullshit,” the woman’s partner grumbled.

“Just tell me there’s two beds.”

“Yes, ma’am. Real firm. Now, how long do you think you’ll be staying with us?”

“Just the one night. I believe there’s a package waiting for us.”

The manager nodded his head and walked to the corner behind his desk, grabbing a rather large and hefty box and placing it on the counter. “Anything else?”

The woman ignored him, grunting as she picked up the box and turned to leave. Her partner grabbed the room key off the counter and followed her out of the office.

***

“Go ahead and just say it,” the woman set the box on one of the beds and cut it open with a pocket knife. Inside were guns and two masks, one a white rabbit and the other a pink dog.

“Say what?”

“Just say it. Otherwise, you’re gonna bottle it up and it’ll give you heartburn again and I’ll have to listen to you complain about that the entire time.”

“It smells like cat piss in here,” he set the briefcase he was carrying on the other bed as he spoke. “First the cut our per diem. Then our health and dental benefits. And now? We don’t even get our own rooms. Where does it end?”

“When we retire or die. Whichever comes first.” She loaded the magazines into the guns and tossed them on the bed one by one. “At least we’re not stuck into some cubicle.”

“My wrist is killing me. Couldn’t they have made this into a backpack or something?” The man walked over to a vent by the bed and proceeded to open it and place the briefcase inside.

“What’re you doing, Hazel? You know we’re supposed to carry the device with us at all times.”

“You try lugging that thing around. It’ll be safe in here, Cha-Cha. Don’t worry.”

Cha-Cha sighed and shook her head as she watched Hazel screw the cover back in place. Once he was done, Hazel plopped down on his bed and turned on the vibration setting.

“Never been after one of our own before,” Cha-Cha looked at the picture of an older man that was inside the box. “They say what happened to the first guys?”

“Liquidated.”

“Dummy hires.”


End file.
